THE MUSIC MAN Previews — Page 9

Mitch101 said: "Just to clear something up...this production is actually Hugh's dream. Rudin would have had to go through Hugh to make any changes. Bette did not dream of doing Dolly. You are correct. She trusted Rudin to build it around her. That is not the case here. I don't think Rudin's presence would have made much of a difference to anything."





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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hugh-jackman-lead-broadway-revival-music-man-1194075/

I don't think the idea that it was Hugh who pushed Rudin to do this show is a correct perception. In the above article, it said that it was Rudin who called Hugh about doing the project and it took him some 3 years to persuade Hugh to accept it. What was Hugh doing at that time. 2016 - he was busy filming LOGAN & THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. He shepherded the Showman project from 2009 when the idea of a Barnum musical was pitched to him by Oscars producer Larry Mark when he saw Hugh rehearsing for his Oscars hosting that year. After the tremendous success of Showman (released in Dec 2017) , there was a strong possibility that a stage adaptation to B'way would be put up. That went on and Hugh said that he would be up to reprise his Barnum role. But all of a sudden Fox Studios and other assets/rights were sold to Disney. That put the Showman stage adaptation in limbo. Presumably, with the possibility of his early return to B'way via Showman no longer a possibility, he likely started considering the Music Man offer seriously.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hugh-jackman-wants-to-bring-the-greatest-showman-to-broadway/

Also, in the same article, it mentions that Music Man has been a long dream/passion project of Rudin because his 1st job when he was a teenager was as an assistant to Kermit Bloomgarden, the producer of the first B'way staging of The Music Man. He said that KB regaled him with many stories about that time.

Hugh was involved in a high school production of The Music Man and he even did the Rock Island opening number in his BackOnB'way show in 2011 ( before filming Les Miserables, which he has said is his favorite performance). It is likely that Music Man also hold special memories for him but he has never that he was dying to do it. But as in his other major projects, he has been known to put all his full commitment to them.

Tongue in cheek - his saying that it is a dream project is most likely just marketing spiel

Updated On: 12/23/21 at 06:23 PM

Auggie27 said: "The Midler take on Dolly Levi reminted the role, almost a full 180 from Channing. Though it seemed a thrilling fit on paper, no one knew quite how she would approach the piece - her first book show since her youthful beginnings - and her take - part Matchmaker, part coquettish grand dame, with a sprinkle of 4th wall decimating Vegas vaudeville was genuinely fresh and startling to behold. Jackman as Harold is so ideal a match of star and character it’s less likely to inspire gasps of new appreciation. No knock on Hugh - a great triple threat. But it’s fair to say it may be a bigger challenge simply to surprise us. We’ve seen wonderful Hills in NYC in the last 20 years. Dolly had disappeared when Channing hung up the red dress. That just impacts expectations."



Interesting take, Auggie. But....



Midler reminting the role? Deconstructing it, maybe. That wasn't Dolly Levi up there. It was Bette Midler doing Midlerisms. Fun...but fresh and startling? Not for me.



Jackman ideal for the role? In your mind, maybe. If you see Ray Bolger doing Hill, maybe. He's a bit too...well...nice for my taste. The challenge was for us to believe he could ever do something so devious.



As for Dolly disappearing after Channing? Tell that to Feldshuh, Struthers, and every Hollywood B-star looking for a job. Dolly will never go away...

Skip23 said: "Auggie27 said: "The Midler take on Dolly Levi reminted the role, almost a full 180 from Channing. Though it seemed a thrilling fit on paper, no one knew quite how she would approach the piece - her first book show since her youthful beginnings - and her take - part Matchmaker, part coquettish grand dame, with a sprinkle of 4th wall decimating Vegas vaudeville was genuinely fresh and startling to behold. Jackman as Harold is so ideal a match of star and character it’s less likely to inspire gasps of new appreciation. No knock on Hugh - a great triple threat. But it’s fair to say it may be a bigger challenge simply to surprise us. We’ve seen wonderful Hills in NYC in the last 20 years. Dolly had disappeared when Channing hung up the red dress. That just impacts expectations."



Interesting take, Auggie. But....



Midler reminting the role? Deconstructing it, maybe. That wasn't Dolly Levi up there. It was Bette Midler doing Midlerisms. Fun...but fresh and startling? Not for me.



Jackman ideal for the role? In your mind, maybe. If you see Ray Bolger doing Hill, maybe. He's a bit too...well...nice for my taste. The challenge was for us to believe he could ever do something so devious.
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Have you seen Bad Education with Hugh Jackman? He played (and got the best reviews of his career) the real-life educator con man Frank Tassone, who pushed the Long Island school where he was a much admired administrator to fourth national ranking but who was jailed because he committed the largest fraud in the US school system. The movie premiered at Toronto but HBO put up a record festival bid for the rights so it ended up in the HBO programming slate in 2020. Hugh didn't look like Tassone at all! He did get an EMMY nomination for that portrayal.

https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/bad-education-review-hugh-jackman-1203328219/

Updated On: 12/22/21 at 07:25 PM

poisonivy2 said: "Bette was a ball-buster. She demanded excellence from everyone in the Hello, Dolly! production. She even frowned on any social media use backstage. If the Hello, Dolly! production was stellar across the board it was because she wouldn't have put up with any less.

This isn't a bad thing btw. She;s managed such success because she's tough and demanding."



If Bette frowned on the use of social media backstage, it didn't stop the cast from messaging me throughout the show when they knew I was in the audience. My phone was filled with messages at intermission.

poisonivy2 said: "Dollypop said: "poisonivy2 said: "Bette was a ball-buster. She demanded excellence from everyone in the Hello, Dolly! production. She even frowned on any social media use backstage. If the Hello, Dolly! production was stellar across the board it was because she wouldn't have put up with any less.

This isn't a bad thing btw. She;s managed such success because she's tough and demanding."



If Bette frowned on the use of social media backstage, it didn't stop the cast from messaging me throughout the show when they knew I was in the audience. My phone was filled with messages at intermission.

"

It was more like they weren't allowed to go on IG live or snapchat and that sort of thing. I did notice that once she left the show the backstage shots on IG became way more common.

That's sweet that the actors messaged you."



When you see a show as often as I saw DOLLY! you get to know the cast and vice- versa

The show actually seemed much tighter tonight. Phillip Boykin was out tonight (along with Daniel Torres, still) which was a shame but otherwise full cast was in.

Updated On: 12/22/21 at 11:38 PM

Jordan Catalano said: "SueFB said: "Jordan Catalano said: "The show actually seemed much tighter tonight. Phillip Boykin was out tonight (along with Branch Woodman, still) which was a shame but otherwise full cast was in."

Branch Woodman was out? Or was he replacing Daniel Torres like the first two nights? Not good news about Boykin. "


sorry sorry sorry! Gonna edit my post. I meant Branch was still ON. My bad!! :)"

No worries! Do you know who was on for Phillip?

I saw this tonight and had a really great time. Hugh is a star and it shows here, his interaction with the young actors is fantastic. Design a notch or two above the disaster that was Carousel, but nothing like HD.

I saw the show tonight and overall I enjoyed it.

I really liked Hugh Jackman but at no point did I feel like I was watching Harold Hill. I felt like I was watching Hugh Jackman show everyone that he can sing and dance. And boy, can he sing and dance. He’s incredibly talented but I had to taper my expectations that he’d actually act the role.

I love Sutton Foster but I felt like she was miscast. She clearly struggled during some of the songs. Her acting and dancing were top-notch. Unlike Hugh, I felt like I was watching Marion. I was also distracted by her wig as I felt like she looked like Elizabeth McGovern on Downton Abbey.

The supporting cast was fine. I thought Jefferson Mays as Mayor Shinn and the little boy who played Winthrop were excellent. Shuler Hensley did not do anything for me as Marcellus. I like Jayne Houdyshell and Marie Mullen but I found their performances largely forgettable. The quartet was excellent. The others were clearly cast because they can dance. I didn’t think there was any chemistry between Tommy and Zaneeta but they did what they needed to do.

I felt like the show started off slowly. It didn’t get moving until “Trouble.” I loved “The Wells Fargo Wagon.” I thought the staging of that number was very clever. “Shipoopi” was a bit of a letdown. I noticed early on that they changed the lyrics. I assume this was to be more politically correct. The lyrics were fine but I felt a tremendous lack of energy during the number. The finale also felt very abrupt, to the point where it was jarring for a second or two. I don’t remember it ever being like that.

I agree with what others are saying about the choreography: it’s terrific but it’s too much. They use every opportunity to remind us that Hugh can dance. There are definitely dance moments that can be cut.

I liked certain aspects of the set and disliked others. I loved the library, Marian’s house, and the town hall. The rest looked cheap.

I found myself looking at the playbill to see what was up next. That’s obviously never a good thing. But I enjoyed myself a lot. It’s a fun production with an extremely talented cast. Would I spend the money some have spent on tickets? No, but I paid what I felt was appropriate and enjoyed myself greatly. We’re lucky to have a season where we have three great (and very different) revivals of three very special shows: Company, Caroline, and Music Man.

FYI, there are 5 $99 seats available for this Sunday's matinee, and a pair on Sunday, 1/2 at 7 p.m.

"As for Dolly disappearing after Channing? Tell that to Feldshuh, Struthers, and every Hollywood B-star looking for a job. Dolly will never go away."

That wasn't the point. The Dolly comparison came up because of Rudin's initial steering of both productions, a point raised repeatedly in this thread. The issue was the absence of any Dolly on Broadway other than Channing since Ethel Merman closed the original production December 27, 1970. No one is claiming that Dolly didn't resurface -- and often -- with other stars, from the Kenley Player to Ogunquit. No first class Broadway production had been mounted without Channing, 1970-2017. That put a considerable focus on the Midler iteration, which was duly noted in reviews and the fact that the show became an event, with event ticketing and prices. The comparison is noted because Music Man returned to NYC with various stars, including Dick Van Dyke at City Center, and scored with Bierko (and two others post) in the Stroman staging. If someone prefers the Peters or Murphy Dolly, that's their prerogative. We had countless threads on that. But Midler made the show a singular event as long as she was in it, and the other stars' performances were on TDF -- I know because I saw it with both on TDF tix.

Updated On: 12/23/21 at 12:25 PM